Jim Sarbh was also impressed by Dr. Bhabha’s ability to paint and play the violin, as well as the fact that he had written books on culture. He was drawn to the unknown aspects of Dr. Bhabha’s life and enjoyed playing wealthy characters with multiple facets.
Jim Sarbh, who rose to prominence with the OTT series Made in Heaven before wowing audiences with roles in Sanju and Padmavaat, says he’s “excited” and “honoured” to play Padma Bhushan physicist Dr Homi Bhabha in the upcoming web series Rocket Boys.
The 34-year-old Parsi actor tried hard not to be intimidated by the nuclear physicist’s towering personality, who is often referred to as the “father of the Indian nuclear programme,” and did his best to read up on him, watch his speeches, and “capture his approach to life.”
Everything about the project drew him in, he said, adding that he got to play someone who was such a dynamic individual, with the drive to make his vision a reality.
Rocket Boys, directed by Abhay Pannu, is a tribute to India’s best scientific minds, focusing on the finer details of the country’s space programme. It was undoubtedly a “challenging” project for Sarbh, as Bhabha is a cult figure in India, having been a passionate supporter of atomic energy and the head of India’s atomic programme. But he tried not to think about the man’s legacy too much.
Sarbh told reporters that he is aware of his responsibilities, but he is trying not to think about his legacy or his greatness. “I just tried to play a character whose mind works very quickly to understand patterns and people, and who knows when to lighten the mood with a joke and when things are deadly serious,” he explained.
The actor was also taken with the fact that Dr. Bhabha had written books on culture, was a fantastic painter, and a fantastic violinist. The actor stated that he was drawn to the unknown aspects of Dr. Bhabha’s life and that he enjoyed playing rich characters with multiple facets.
It was a “delicious” character to play, he said, and it was an honour to play a personality like Bhabha. Sarbh also reportedly got along well with Ishwak Singh (Paatal Lok, Aligarh), who plays Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme. According to media reports, Sarbh stated, “Our chemistry is an important part of the narrative.” Sarbh hoped that the show, which follows Dr. Bhabha and Dr. Sarabhai as they build India’s future post-independence from British rule, would strike a chord with and inspire the audience.
“We’ve seen military and sporting heroes.” “We don’t really talk about scientists,” said the actor, who surprised critics in Padmavaat by playing Ranveer Singh’s adoring slave Malik Kafur to Ranveer’s Singh Alauddin Khilji.
Sarbh was most recently seen in Bejoy Nambiar’s stylish film Taish, which is currently available on Zee5. Rocket Boys, which also stars Tamil actor Regina Cassandra and Rajit Kapur (who plays Jawarharlal Nehru), will be available on SonyLiv on February 4th.